
Event Details (Part of the Arizona Navigation Competition 2025)

Sonoran Desert Navigation Games 2025

Cattail Cove State Park
(~8 miles south of Lake Havasu City, AZ)

Saturday, April 12, 2025:
6/12-Hour Adventure Race
3/6/12-Hour Rogaine (Foot only)

Registration Closed

Important Updates 07Apr2024:

Entrance Fee There is an entrance fee required to enter Cattail Cove State Park. See "Park Entrance Fee" on the Cattail Cove website https://azstateparks.com/cattail-cove/.
Temperature Unseasonably warm temperatures predicted near 100F on Saturday, April 12. We'll put jugs of water at several locations on the course. You need to plan accordingly for the heat. Morning temperatures along with low humidity are bearable. Be sure to slow down and hydrate in the afternoon sun.
Special Bike Info For bike segments, dry washes abound, which means a lot of riding through sand. We used 2.4" knobby tires during course setup, which provided insufficient floatation in some parts of the course. You should plan for the sandy conditions.

Cattail Cove

Event	Description
Adventure Race	Navigation by foot and optionally by mountain bike and packraft. Teams of 1 to 4 Individuals (Solos allowed) Inflatable, portable watercraft only.
Rogaine	Navigation on foot Solos and teams welcome.

Event Summary
Sunrise: 6:09 AM Sunset: 7:07 PM Civil Twilight Start: 5:43 AM Civil Twilight End: 7:32 PM
Time	Event(s)	Location	Directions	Google Maps	Safety Plans
Saturday, Apr 12, 2025
Sat, Apr 12 6:30 AM - 7:00 PM	12-Hour Adventure Race 12-Hour Rogaine (Mandatory Briefing 6:30 AM) (Mass Start: 7:00 AM) (12-Hour Finish: 7:00 PM)	Cattail Cove State Park	Directions	Placemark	Safety Plan
Sat, Apr 12 7:30 AM - 11:00 AM/ 2:00 PM	6-Hour Adventure Race 6-Hour Rogaine 3-Hour Rogaine (Mandatory Briefing 7:30 AM) (Mass Start: 8:00 AM) (3-Hour Finish: 11:00 AM) (6-Hour Finish: 2:00 PM)	Cattail Cove State Park	Directions	Placemark	Safety Plan

Course Statistics
Notes: Adventure Race Water controls only accessible by watercraft. All other controls reached by foot and/or bike. Rogaine No access to water controls. All controls reached by foot only.
	Watercraft			Foot			Bike
	Distance (km)	Climb (m)	Controls (2 points per control)	Distance (km)	Climb (m)	Controls (1 point per control)	Distance (km)	Climb (m)	Controls (1 point per control)
Adventure Race	8.4	0	5 (10 pts)	13.0	1013	20	44.4	1745	20
12-Hour Rogaine				50.7	1200	40
6-Hour Rogaine 3-Hour Rogaine				16.8	890	25

Details

We're excited to open up a new event site in Arizona for your navigation enjoyment. On Saturday, April 12, we'll take you to Cattail Cove State Park, a beautiful park on the banks of Lake Havasu just south of Lake Havasu City. During the day, we're offering five events:

6-Hour and 12-Hour Adventure Race
During the adventure race, teams of 1-4 members navigate to as many destinations as they can on foot and optionally by mountain bike or packraft. At the start of the event, we'll provide participants with one or more maps showing locations for all of the destinations. Participants choose themselves how they wish to travel to the different points. While most of the destinations are accessible on foot, a few are only accessible by watercraft and some are located at distances that are best accessed by bike.

Note: Only inflatable watercraft are allowed. In addition, it's likely you'll carry the watercraft between several points, so if you want to visit the checkpoints only accessible by water, you'll want to bring a portable, inflatable watercraft. Inflatable packrafts are the best option.

Packraft Rental
We have partnered with CD Outdoors for packraft rental. If you wish to rent packrafts from CD Outdoors, you need to reserve and pay for the rental by Sunday, April 6.

For all adventure race checkpoints, all members of a team are required to travel to the destinations together. Participants must never be separated by more than 50 meters.

While there are no mandatory destinations to visit, the water controls are only accessible by watercraft, and teams visiting controls by watercraft must maintain the 50 meter rule. Teams may not visit the watercraft-only controls on foot or by bike. The watercraft-only controls are worth more points than other destinations on the map(s).
12-Hour Rogaine

The 12-hour Rogaine is a special category of the adventure race. Participants in the 12-hour Rogaine use the same maps as the adventure racers. The main difference is that participants in the 12-hour Rogaine only travel on foot. The watercraft destinations are not accessible on foot. In addition, several of the bike controls are placed at distances more easily reached by bike. Participants in the Rogaine visit as many of the destinations as they can in the 12-hour limit.

3-Hour, 6-Hour Rogaine

In the 3-hour and 6-hour Rogaine, participants have up to 3/6 hours to visit as many of the controls as they can on a single map.

Additional Points:

Pre-Race Briefing
Each of these events includes a pre-race briefing. The briefing for the 12-hour events is at 6:30 AM. The briefing for the other events is at 7:30 AM. Please be on time for the briefings. We'll hand out maps and provide last-minute details at the briefings.
For all events, team members must remain within 50 meters of each other at all times. Team members must arrive at each checkpoint together. There is no sending one person off to punch the control card while the rest of the team takes a break.
All checkpoints are optional. You're welcome to visit as many or as few of the controls as you like.
For all events, most checkpoints are worth one point. The watercraft points are worth two points apiece.
Penalties apply for late arrivals. We will subtract 1 point for every 5 minutes you are late. For example, for the 6-hour adventure race, arriving one second over the 6-hour limit, we'll subtract 1 point. Arriving at 6:04:59, we'll subtract one point. Arriving at 6:05:00, we'll subtract two points.
The events take place at Cattail Cove State Park. State park entrance fees are required to participate in the Sonoran Desert Navigation Games. The entrance fees are not part of the event registration.

Start-Finish Location: Cattail Cove State Park

Pre-Registration

Registration Closed

There is no on-site registration for the events.

Parental Consent:

Parental Consent Now Required (Click here for more information)
Parental Consent Form

All participants under age 18 are now required to have a signed parental consent form on file with the club. You can complete the form before the event and either scan it and send it to us by e-mail or bring it with you to the event.

Fees

The Fees for the Sonoran Desert Navigation Games events are as follows (per person):

Regular Registration (closes Sunday, Mar 23 at 11:59 PM)
- 12-Hour Adventure Race: $60
- 6-Hour Adventure Race: $30
- 12-Hour Rogaine: $50
- 6-Hour Rogaine: $25
- 3-Hour Rogaine: $15
Late Registration (closes Sunday, Apr 6 at 11:59 PM)
- 12-Hour Adventure Race: $90
- 6-Hour Adventure Race: $45
- 12-Hour Rogaine: $75
- 6-Hour Rogaine: $40
- 3-Hour Rogaine: $25

Please note that due to increases in insurance costs and pre-conditions for our permit with the land administrators, we are forced to require pre-registration and pre-payment for our Sonoran Desert events. We're sorry for the inconvenience. We have to reach a participation threshold to break even on the event.

Cancellation and Refund Policy

Cancellations made before the end of regular registration (Sunday, Mar 23 at 11:59 PM) are eligible for a full refund.
Cancellations made during late registration (up to Sunday, Apr 6 at 11:59 PM) are eligible for a 50% refund.
No refunds are available for cancellations after Sunday, Apr 6 at 11:59 PM.

Gear List:

Mandatory Race Gear

Carried by each participant at all times.

Whistle
Compass
Water carrying capacity for 2 liters. Water is available at the start/finish. We will also have at least one additional water station on the course. You are strongly encouraged to bring your own water bottles or a camelback.
Space blanket. (For emergencies. 12-hour events only.)
Cell phone. (For pictures or emergency calls. One per team. Not for navigation. Use for navigation will result in disqualification.)
First aid kit. (Mandatory for 12-hour events only. One per team.)
Water purification tablets or filter. (Mandatory for 12-hour events only. One per team.)
Waterproof map holder. (Maps are not waterproof.)
Headlamp or flashlight with fresh batteries. (12-hour events only)
The 12-hour events will finish near dusk.
Participants must carry a light source for safety.

Bicycle Gear

For adventure racers.

Mountain bike. You will find it easier to hit cutoff times if you use a bicycle to travel to the bike controls. (You are not required to use a mountain bike.)
Helmet
Bike tool kit (At least one per team.)
Spare tube. (One for each bike.)

Water Gear

The gear listed below is required for those choosing to travel on water.

Personal floatation device (PFD). Each participant must have their own PFD. This is in addition to whatever boat, canoe, etc. they bring. Mountain bike. We find it easier to hit cutoff times if you use a bicycle to travel to the bike controls.
Any type of inflatable or portable non-motorized watercraft, including an inflatable kayak, packraft, paddleboard, etc. No hardshell kayaks or canoes allowed.
Waterproof bag. For transporting any gear you decide to bring with you on the water.

Recommended Gear

Sun screen. There is little to no shade on all the courses. We encourage you to protect yourself from sunburn.
Leg gaiters, especially for off-trail travel. The desert vegetation is sparse around Cattail Cove. Some washes have more prickly cat claw. Leg gaiters could help.
Duct tape.
Lightweight rain jacket, just in case it's rainy.
Extra clothing layers. It could be in the mid 40's at the start of the 12-hour events.

Not Allowed

Any device that uses a satellite connection for navigation, distance, or elevation. This includes standalone GPS units and GPS watches. You are allowed to use a GPS unit for recording your track, but you must not use any of the navigation functions of the unit during the race. We will disqualify any racer using a GPS unit for navigation during the race.
Motorized bicycles (electric, gas, etc.) (Do we really have to tell you?)

Gas, Food, Lodging

Campsites Cattail Cove State Park, on the shores of Lake Havasu, is a wonderful place to spend a few days enjoying the sun and the water. Unfortunately, camp sites are at a premium in the spring. Reserving a spot is difficult. Your entrance fee will at least get you access to some of the park's amenities. See the Cattail Cove State Park website for details.

Cabins There are no cabins at Cattail Cove State Park.

Dispersed Camping There are huge areas for dispersed camping surrounding the park. Traveling ~3 miles north of the park on AZ-95, the rugged mountains give way to flat, open drainages with slightly elevated surrounding terrain. You'll find RVs galore in the area leading back to Lake Havasu City. Traveling south on AZ-95 ~3 miles from the park, there are large open spaces in what appears to be an old minesite on both the right and left sides of the road. Signs indicate a need for a permit to enter the area. It's unclear how the permitting works, and the site is filled with RVs during cooler months.

Motels The park is very close to Lake Havasu City, about a 15-mile drive from downtown. There are plenty of motels to choose from.

Gas The nearest gas stations are to the north of the park, ~8 miles to the southern edge of Lake Havasu City.

Food The park has a small amount of food and drink available at the entrance station. Otherwise, Lake Havasu City has a reported population over 60,000. We're sure you'll find plenty of food in town.